All Hallows' Eve
by Aynaa
Summary: Once a year on the 31st of October the gateway between the world of the living and the world of the dead opens for one night. Evil spirits and restless ghosts are seeking for human vessels and at Phantomhive Manor they might have found someone…
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Here's my contribution to Halloween. It's my first multi-chaptered story. The other chapters are not written yet but I try to update as soon as possible. Now, please enjoy!**

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><p>Ciel slumped down into his favourite armchair in front of the fireplace in his library. It had been an exhausting day. He had visited two of his factories, had met several business partners in London and on his way back home he had ended up being stuck in traffic. The weather certainly hadn't helped to lift his mood either. It had been a typical autumn day: cold, rainy and windy. It was only due to Sebastian who apparently was eager to get back to the manor as well that they arrived home before nightfall.<p>

Now it was early evening and the little light of the day was slowly disappearing. Ciel was glad he was back in his manor where he could allow himself a moment of rest. He enjoyed the cosy warmth spreading from the flames in the fireplace. Slowly, his body – freezing from sitting for what had felt like hours in the carriage which hadn't shut out the wind and the cold – began to warm up and he drifted into a slight slumber.

He wasn't fully asleep, just dozing. His eyes were closed but he could still perceive his surroundings. He felt the pleasant heat of the fire, smelled the mixture of old books and burning wood and heard the crackle of the flames and even the wind howling outside of the house. But suddenly Ciel felt a cold draught passing him. He was confused for a moment. The door and all windows were closed so where did the fresh air come from? But as quickly as it had come it disappeared again so the Earl didn't think about it any further and shrugged it off as imagination.

However, a few minutes later the cold air returned again. This time, Ciel was certain that he wasn't just imagining things. He opened his eyes and searched for the source of the breeze. The fire was still burning but somehow the warmth didn't reach Ciel anymore. He stood up and decided to check on the windows. Maybe the storm outside had opened them. While he made his way between the bookshelves of the library he noticed that the air around him was getting warmer again and as he had assumed, the windows were closed. He got even more confused when he returned to his armchair where it was considerably colder than in the rest of the room. _Strange_, he thought. _Why is it so cold right in front of the fireplace?_

He stood there for a moment wondering. There wasn't anything he could do about it so he decided to ignore it. The Earl pushed the chair from the cold spot to another place and was just about to sit down again when a noise held him back. It was a quiet sound coming from behind a bookshelf in a dark corner of the room. It sounded like something was scratching the wood. Ciel's heart beat faster. What was that? The scratching was getting louder and it seemed to come closer to where Ciel was standing. He was certain that he was alone in the library, or was he? Could someone have broken into the manor? But surely, Sebastian wouldn't have allowed that, right? No one uninvited could enter the Phantomhive estate. _At least no one human…_

Ciel tried to calm down. It had been a stressful day. Surely, he was overreacting. It was probably just a rat seeking shelter from the terrible weather outside. He suppressed the urge to summon his butler who would only laugh at his pathetic master. _Ha! Scared of a small animal. It can't be anything else._ But he could not fully convince himself.

The scratching noise now came from a shelf to his right. Ciel grabbed a poker that was hanging beside the fireplace and neared the shelf. With the weapon in his hands he felt more self-confident but even so his heart was pounding. Slowly he approached the source of the sound. With every step his unease grew. Something inside of him screamed at him to run away but he wouldn't give in to his childish fears. He held the poker high above his head ready to strike at any moment. The scratching was even louder than before and Ciel stood right in front of the bookshelf now. Whatever was causing this sound must have been right on the other side. Ciel took a deep breath. Then he jumped around the shelf and without a second look he struck down the poker with all his strength.

With a loud crash the bookshelf collapsed and the books all fell down with it. From the corner of his eye Ciel thought he saw a shadow moving quickly on the wall beside him but when he turned his head it had disappeared. He returned his attention to the mess around him. There was nothing besides the broken shelf and the books. But the scratching was gone. So did he eliminate the source of the sound?

Suddenly, multiple things happened at once. The glass of one of the windows shattered, another bookshelf collapsed for no reason and the fire in the fireplace went out leaving the library in complete darkness. Ciel flinched and dropped the poker in shock. What the hell was wrong tonight?

After the chaos just a few seconds ago it was dead silent now. The only sound came from Ciel's rapid breathing and his fast heartbeat. _A rat couldn't have caused all this. What's going on in here?_ Ciel's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. He recognised the outlines of the room, the bookshelves that were still standing, the broken ones on the floor, the books, the window…

Ciel's eyes widened in shock. There by the window someone was standing. The 13-year-old couldn't see much because of the darkness but he clearly made out the white shape of a person, almost transparent – and it was moving…


	2. Chapter 2

Ciel slowly took small steps backwards, his eyes never leaving the faint shadowy figure at the window. Therefore, he couldn't see where he was going and stumbled over the broken bookshelf causing him to lose his balance and fall down on the floor. Ciel winced in pain. He groped for the poker he had dropped earlier but when he couldn't find it he was beginning to panic.

A loud knocking interrupted the silence. Startled, Ciel looked in the direction of the door that opened slowly.

"Young master, I heard a noise. Is everything all r…?!" Sebastian's eyes widened when he saw the boy lying in the midst of the half destroyed library. He was at his master's side in less than a second and with a gesture of his hand the fireplace was lit again, illuminating the room with a warm light. "My lord, are you hurt? What happened?"

Ciel was relieved that his butler was there and the light helped him to calm down. Then, he remembered the figure by the window. "Sebastian, there was…!" He pointed at the window but what he saw made him break off mid-sentence. Because of the shattered window the white curtains fluttered in the wind. "There was…"

Suddenly, Ciel felt stupid. His mind must have been playing tricks on him in the darkness. The figure he had seen hadn't been a person but the curtains.

Sebastian watched his confused master. "My lord?"

"There was… a rat."

"A rat?" Sebastian raised one eyebrow and let his eyes wander through the room. "Well, quite impressive for a rat to cause such destruction." With a look at the poker on the floor he added "I assume you helped a bit."

"Oh, shut up!" Ciel stood up, picked up the poker and threw it at his butler who caught it easily. "It should be your job to get rid of these pests or better not to let them in in the first place." He turned away from the now smirking demon in order not to let him see that he was still shaken from the events earlier.

Sebastian bowed slightly. "Of course, I apologize. By the way, my lord, dinner is ready if you're hungry."

Ciel was glad to hear that. He wasn't particularly hungry but he didn't want to be in this room any longer and dinner gave him a plausible excuse to leave without having to tell Sebastian the real reason. "Good. You'll clean up this mess. Meet me in the dining room once you're done."

"Yes, my lord!"

With one last glance at the broken window he left the library. He still felt quite uncomfortable thinking about what had occurred. But what exactly had happened? First, there had been that cold spot – maybe the wind had found a way through the chimney or something. After that, there had been that scratching sound – a rat, no doubt about that. But then? The storm might have broken the window, causing the bookshelf to collapse and the fire to extinguish. Yes, everything could be explained by logic. But why had it all felt so weird? Why did he have the feeling that someone had been in the room with him? Had he read too many ghost stories and was imagining things now? Should he talk to Sebastian about it?

When he arrived at the dining room Sebastian was already awaiting him. Ciel sat down at the table and his butler served the meal. "For tonight's dinner we have tender salmon filet accompanied by roasted pumpkin and a light garlic sauce." Ciel picked at his food. He had lost his appetite. Several questions went through his mind but before he could utter a word Sebastian interrupted the silence. "Are you sure you saw a rat in the library, sir? I've searched for it but couldn't find anything." He narrowed his eyes slightly and almost whispered the next words. "Maybe it was something else…"

"What else could it have been?" Ciel made it sound like a rhetorical question but to be honest he really was wondering about that. When the demon hadn't found a rat then he could be certain that there hadn't been one. But that meant that something else had caused the scratching. A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought of that.

"If we really do have a rat problem, then maybe we should consider some help." Ciel shot his butler an annoying look already suspecting where this was leading. "I'm sure a cat…"

"NO!" Ciel slammed down the tableware. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm allergic to cats?"

Sebastian sighed. "Ah, how troublesome. Humans and their allergies."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, my lord."

Ciel forced himself to take a few bites of the meal before he pushed the plate away from him. When Sebastian brought the dessert – crème brûlée – Ciel finally asked the question that was bothering him. "Sebastian? Are there other creatures like you?"

Surprised, the demon raised an eyebrow. His master had never asked something like that before. "Why the sudden interest, my lord? Is my presence not sufficient for you?"

Ciel averted his eyes. "It's not that…" he mumbled. "Just answer my question!"

"Well, of course I am not the only demon in this world, so to answer your question: Yes!"

Ciel waited for further information but nothing came. For Sebastian, this subject seemed concluded. But the Earl wasn't satisfied yet so he remained persistent. "I don't mean demons, I was thinking about other… supernatural beings."

"You've met grim reapers…"

"Yes, but besides those, are there others…?" He already regretted asking in the first place. This was absolutely ridiculous. "Like… you know… goblins… or ghosts…?"

"Are you saying you saw a ghost back in the library?" Although he made the question sound like his usual teasing Sebastian wasn't smirking this time. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Ciel didn't notice his butler's odd behaviour. He felt caught out and tried not to let it show. "Don't let me worm everything out of you! Do I have to make it an order?"

Sebastian still hesitated. "I don't think that's a topic which should be discussed at this time of the day. Last time you read such stories before bed you had terrible nightmares, don't you remember, my lord? And these were just tales."

Ciel did remember and those were anything but nice memories. But he couldn't ignore what had happened in the library and he wanted to know if there was at least a possibility that some supernatural being might have caused this. And now that he had started this conversation he didn't want to break it off. So he threw an angry look at Sebastian that made very clear that he wanted an answer this time.

Sebastian sighed. "All right, if you insist. There are indeed other 'supernatural beings', as you called them, besides demons and grim reapers. For example, humans whose souls weren't properly collected by the reapers after their death are caught between this world and the next. Sometimes if they are strong enough they can interfere with the humans' world to some extent even though they are unable to attain a physical body. That's what you would call a ghost.

"Then there are more powerful beings that you might know as ghouls or evil spirits. Basically, these are lesser demons who crave for human souls but don't possess the ability to form a contract. If you ask me, those unworthy creatures are a disgrace." At the last part, Sebastian's voice grew darker but he quickly regained his composure. "But humans rarely ever encounter them because usually, they don't have access to the human world."

Ciel listened closely. He had never thought about asking Sebastian such things before because, honestly speaking, it hadn't concerned him. All he needed to know was that the demon would fulfil his side of the contract. Everything else that existed didn't matter as long as it didn't interfere with his plans. But now Ciel's interest was aroused. "When you say 'usually', does that mean there is a way for them to enter this world?"

"Why, yes. Every once in a while the barrier between our realms gets weaker and even vermin like that can gain access. Most just search for fresh corpses and devour them in hopes of tasting at least the smallest remains of the soul which inhabited the once living human, whereas others even manage to possess a human body."

Ciel shuddered at the image of some creature feeding on a dead human being. It made him wonder how Sebastian would take his soul someday. He quickly tried to push that thought away and concentrated on another thing his butler had said. "Possess? You mean a demonic possession? Like in an exorcism?"

Sebastian didn't like where this conversation was heading but if his master insisted on it there was nothing he could do about it. "Well, I guess you could say that. These lesser demons are only able to live in this world longer than one night if they find a human vessel to inhabit. In that process they slowly consume their host's soul until there is nothing left but the physical body. And about exorcism, there have actually been attempts to exorcise humans who really were possessed by such a spirit. But these attempts have all been in vain. You humans can do nothing against a possession. The only way to get rid of the intrusion is to kill the body. Then, the spirit leaves because otherwise it would die along with its vessel."

Ciel was quite shocked. He had even forgotten the dessert in front of him. "So for the human who is possessed…?"

A wicked grin crept across Sebastian's face. "Yes! That human will die one way or another. If the body is killed soon enough there's at least a chance that the soul can still be collected by the reapers. But mostly the soul is already consumed by the parasite."

The 13-year-old kept silent. He had heard enough. Even though Sebastian was around him every day he was rarely this aware that there existed creatures most humans only dreamt of in nightmares. And from what Sebastian had just told him he'd rather not run into one of them anytime soon. _How ironic for me to think that._

"I think that's enough for one evening. It has become late. We should get you ready for bed, my lord." Ciel didn't object as Sebastian cleared the table and escorted him to his bedroom. He was lost in his own thoughts trying to process what he had learnt about these so called lesser demons. Had there been one of them in the library and had Sebastian scared it off when he had appeared in the doorway? It made him queasy to think about that. He tried to ease his mind by convincing himself that Sebastian wouldn't allow any other creature to have what was rightfully his – Ciel's soul. But still, he had to admit that he had been frightened.

Sebastian watched his master closely. Whatever had happened in the library had clearly disturbed the boy. But it couldn't have been an evil spirit, could it? When he had cleaned up the room there had been no other presence. And what's more, spirits usually didn't choose humans who were marked by an actual demon like himself. They feared demons far too much. Thus, the thought of that vermin invading the manor was absurd even if tonight was the one night in the year…

The demon made a mental note to check on the library again after putting his master to bed.

During the bath and while Sebastian dressed Ciel in his nightshirt both of them were silent. Ciel was glad when he lied down in his bed. The day had been tiring and he was looking forward to the rest sleep would offer even if a part of him worried that tonight's dreams might not be pleasant ones.

"Good night, my lord." Sebastian was about to leave when suddenly…

"Wait!" Ciel's voice was very quiet but the demon heard it anyway and turned around. "Stay with me until I fall asleep."

Sebastian smirked. "I warned you these stories wouldn't be good for the night. Are you scared now?"

Ciel suppressed the urge to throw a pillow at the demon. "Shut up! Just do as I say!"

"As you wish!" The butler stood beside the bed and blew out the candles. "May your dreams be pleasant."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3. Thanks to everyone who reviews, follows, adds to favorites and/or reads this story. I'm sorry this chapter is short. I won't be able to finish the story until Halloween as I had originally planned. It takes more time to write it than I thought, especially because English is not my first language. But I'll definitely finish it. ;)**

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><p>Ciel awoke in the middle of the night. He was sleepy and looked around. Sebastian was gone and the room was dark, the moonlight shut out by the curtains. But Ciel was pretty sure there would be no moonlight anyway. He could still hear the rain pattering and the wind howling outside. But that wasn't what had woken him up. He could have sworn that he had heard another noise though it was gone now. The feeling that something was wrong was getting stronger with every second. For some reason, the Earl felt as if someone was watching him.<p>

He tried to shake of the oppressing feeling and wanted to go back to sleep when the sound returned. Ciel paled and sat upright. It was an all too familiar sound by now – the same scratching he had heard in the library. Only this time it came from under his bed.

Instinctively, Ciel grabbed his gun that lay hidden beneath his pillows just in case he would need it. Normally, it always gave him some comfort to know that he could defend himself even without Sebastian – not so this time. Somehow, he doubted whatever was causing this noise would be intimidated by a gun. Nonetheless, he kept hold on it pointing at nothing in particular.

Suddenly, the boy heard a quiet snickering as if someone was laughing at him. Could this be real? Ciel couldn't make out where the sound was coming from; it seemed to echo from every direction. From the corners of his eyes he saw something moving and, indeed, as he turned his head there was a slight shadow on the wall that could be seen despite the darkness of the room. It changed its shape permanently. Ciel's heart skipped a beat. With shaking hands he pointed the gun at the shadow on the wall and again a mocking laugh reached his ears. Just as he was about to pull the trigger something strange happened. All of a sudden, the metal of the gun became burning hot so that Ciel couldn't hold it any longer. Surprised by the unexpected pain he dropped the gun which slipped from the bed and fell to the floor with a thud – out of Ciel's reach.

The shadow on the wall began moving towards the bed and Ciel pressed himself against the headboard of the bed to be as far away from the approaching shadow as possible. His fast beating heart was drowned by the evil laughter which soon changed into a whisper. The 13-year-old couldn't make out exactly what was being spoken but he thought he heard his name a few times.

Full of panic, the frightened boy pulled the blanket over his head and covered his ears with his hands. _This is not real! It's just a dream! _He tried to calm his nerves by repeating these thoughts like a mantra. _This is not real! I'm dreaming! I just need to wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!_

Silence…

Hesitantly, Ciel peeked out from under his hiding spot. The shadow was nowhere to be seen and the scratching and the voices had disappeared as well. Could it really have been a dream? It had felt so real. But it seemed peaceful now. Slowly, the Earl looked around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Ciel sighed with relief. Sebastian had been right. Stories of ghosts and spirits were no good for the night. He could already picture his butler's triumphant smirk when he would wake the boy in the morning. There would be no way to hide the lack of sleep and the demon always enjoyed seeing the consequences of Ciel's orders backfire on him. Nevertheless, Ciel was glad it had been his own imagination rather than an actual threat.

Just as he finished that thought his eyes fell on the gun lying on the floor beside his bed. His eyes widened. How could it be there when all had been a dream? Suddenly, everything went very fast.

Something pulled at Ciel's blanket with such an abrupt strength that it slipped out of the boy's hands and fell to the floor covering the gun. Ciel just watched dumbfounded and his panic rose again. This was no dream. It had never been one. All of this was really happening. Horrified, he felt a cold grip on his ankle. That was too much for the scared boy.

He opened his mouth to scream for Sebastian to come and save him from this monster lurking in the darkness – but no sound came out. His throat felt constricted and he was choking with fear. The shadow was back and it was much too close now. It engulfed Ciel's body almost completely. Now, not only his ankle was being held but also his arms so that he couldn't move anymore. He watched in terror as the shadow neared his face and tried again to summon his butler. But just like before, no sound escaped his throat. Instead, the shadow invaded Ciel's mouth and again he could hear a dark voice, only this time it seemed to come from inside his own head and he could clearly make out the words.

"_No need to call for that demon, little Ciel! Now you're all mine!"_

Ciel wanted to toss and turn, to scream, to make this creature go away but he couldn't move or make any sound at all. The last thing he thought of were Sebastian's words from the evening: 'You humans can do nothing against a possession… That human will die…'

With a silent scream the world went dark…


	4. Chapter 4

After Ciel had fallen asleep Sebastian went back to the library. Nothing showed that not much longer than one hour ago the room had been a complete mess. It had been no problem at all to repair the broken window and book shelves and to clean the floor in no time. But what still remained unclear was the cause of the chaos. Sure, his master had probably destroyed most of the furniture himself. However, the question was why he had felt the need to do so because it certainly hadn't been a rat. Sebastian knew that Ciel usually wasn't scared easily but in that short moment when he had found the boy lying in the dark library he had been horrified.

What also troubled Sebastian was the conversation they had during dinner. It couldn't be a coincidence that his master had asked about those otherworldly creatures today of all days. He had rather not told his master anything at all but since it was an order he had had no other choice. At least he had been able to withhold the information that tonight was the only time in the year ghosts and spirits actually had the ability to enter the human world.

But could that mean that one of these had been in the library and, if so, was still inside or around the mansion?

With his demonic senses he examined the room again but just like before he couldn't pick up the presence of another being. So, whatever had happened there was no one in here now. Sebastian had to admit that in his long life as a demon he had never encountered a lesser demon in the human world. But he was able to sense when grim reapers or other demons were around – unless they were powerful enough to hide their presence which had only ever happened once. Since ghosts and spirits were much weaker than he was the demon assumed that he should be able to detect them although he wondered if that would also be the case if they had already left the room. So there was the slight possibility that there actually had been some supernatural force – probably a demonic spirit rather than a ghost…

"Aaaaahhhhhhh…!"

A scream interrupted Sebastian's thoughts followed by the cracking noise of something falling down and shattering. It was coming from downstairs. _Mey-Rin._ Sebastian sighed. He rushed down to the kitchen where he found the other servants gathering. Mey-Rin was visibly shaken and was obviously being consoled by Finny who patched her back in a comforting manner. Bard stood a few feet beside them carrying what seemed like a mask in his hands and Tanaka just sat there drinking tea.

"What is all the fuss about? The young master is asleep. You don't want to wake him, do you?" the butler asked and gazed at the broken pieces of a once beautiful tea set he had specially ordered from Japan. "Ah, and look what you've done."

"I'm so sorry, Sebastian" Mey-Rin sobbed. "But there… there was a ghost!"

"I've told ya it wasn't a ghost. It was just me with a mask. See?" Bard waved the mask in his hands. It was a small piece of white cloth with two holes for the eyes and an imprinted mouth. "It's Halloween, ya know?!"

Finny was still trying to comfort Mey-Rin who didn't seem convinced. "You shouldn't have scared her like this, Bard. You really shocked her." Tanaka just watched the scene, taking another sip of his tea and uttered his typical "Ho ho ho!"

"Ah, c'mon. There's no such thing as a ghost. That stuff only exists in stories!" Bard regarded the piece of cloth in his hands and grinned. "But I guess it looks pretty scary, huh?"

"Alright everyone, enough playing around!" Sebastian took the cause of the trouble out of Bard's hands who protested loudly but fell silent after a piercing stare from the butler. "I'll be confiscating this. Now, clean up this mess and then I suggest that you go to your rooms. You wouldn't want an actual ghost to find you, would you?" he added with a smirk, turned and left the kitchen hearing Bard muttering under his breath: "Can't have a little fun 'round here…!"

Sebastian was just walking down the hallway when a voice made him stop.

"Um, Sebastian?" The butler turned around. Finny stood there and looked nervously around. "There was something I wanted to tell you… Well, it happened around dawn…" He seemed very unsure of how he should explain what was on his mind.

"What is it, Finnian? Please, just tell me."

The gardener nodded and began to splutter. "Well, it probably is stupid and means nothing… but you once told us to report everything that happens around here to you… and what happened this evening was really strange… and then Mey-Rin said she saw a ghost and I know it was Bard but still, what happened earlier…"

"Finny, it's alright. What happened?"

Sebastian's calm tone relaxed Finny. He took a deep breath and explained. "You know, usually I feed the little birdies in the garden every evening. They know me already and come to eat the grains right out of my hands. But tonight not a single bird came. That has never happened before. I thought it was very weird but it was getting even weirder. When I searched for my little friends I noticed that there was no birds' twittering at all. It was totally quiet. Every bird has vanished."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "That was probably because of the weather. It's raining and storming outside."

"Yes, I know. But I have built a bird house for them a year ago and whenever the weather is really bad all my little birdies seek shelter in there – except for today. I was thinking that something must have scared them away."

Sebastian scrunched his eyebrows but quickly put on a friendly expression and smiled at Finny. "Thank you for telling me. Don't worry. I will take a look at it but I'm sure your birds will be back tomorrow."

"Really?" The gardener's mood was visibly getting better. "Okay, thank you, Sebastian. Good night!" He was back to his cheery self and ran back to the kitchen to help the other servants with the cleaning.

Not a minute later Sebastian was standing outside of the mansion and looked at the gardens. The wind whipped rain into his face, changing direction every few seconds, it was dark and cold but that didn't matter to the demon. He went to Finny's bird house which would have provided protection against nature's forces but as the gardener had said not a single bird was there. And as far as Sebastian could tell there was no living soul – human or animal – inside the gardens at all. Apparently, every animal had fled the scene. Had they felt a threat even before he had been able to? Normally, that was unthinkable but after everything that had happened tonight he was starting to doubt his abilities.

The direction the wind was coming from changed again and then Sebastian could sense something. Although it could hardly be detected due to the weather there was a foul stench in the air. Sebastian recognized the scent. It belonged to a quite powerful demonic spirit. So it was true. There really was an intruder who dared to invade his territory. That thing must have been highly skilled to be able to avoid the demon all evening without leaving anything behind to track him down.

Sebastian supposed that the spirit must have hidden in the gardens while he and his master had been in London. This would explain why all animals had disappeared and why the scent was stronger out here. Sebastian narrowed his eyes. Now, that he had detected that vermin there was no escape for it. He would enjoy chasing it and letting it experience the punishment for crossing his path.

Suddenly, the demon's eyes widened. The scent of the spirit wasn't coming from the gardens as he had originally assumed – it was coming from the mansion. _Master!_ All of a sudden, he could feel a searing pain on his left hand where the mark of the contract was located. It was a typical sign that his master was in grave danger.

Without wasting any time Sebastian hurried back inside the mansion to the Earl's room. He should never have left him. How could he have left him alone during this night when there already had been a strange occurrence in the library?! The appearance of a lessor demon had been the most plausible explanation and even so Sebastian had been far too careless, never expecting a spirit to lay hands on the property of an actual demon. But the delicious soul of the boy must have attracted its attention so that it could not have resisted the temptation. However, that soul was his. He hadn't worked this long and had cultivated it to nearly perfection just to let some unworthy scum steal it away from him. He just hoped he wouldn't be too late.

The closer he came to his master's bedroom the stronger the stench of the spirit became. Although it only took seconds to reach his destination, for Sebastian, it seemed like an endless time – time his master might not have anymore. The demon didn't care if anyone saw him right now. Appearances didn't matter when the boy's life was at stake. Without even thinking of knocking he burst into the room and felt immediately that something was terribly wrong.

Ciel sat upright in his bed and stared at Sebastian with an empty gaze. The presence of the demonic spirit was now stronger than ever but the demon couldn't see where exactly it was hiding unless…

Could it be…?!

He neared the bed, Ciel's eyes followed him and slowly a creepy smile formed on his face. _No!_ It wasn't his master who was looking at him. The creature that had disguised itself with Ciel's body began to erupt in malicious laughter. "You're too late, demon."

Sebastian was rarely ever shocked but this time he was. He had failed to protect his master. A demonic spirit had taken possession over his body…

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><p><strong>Next chapter there will be some action! ;)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, dear readers. I'm so sorry it took longer to upload this chapter. I'm pretty busy at the moment. To make up for it this chapter is a bit longer than the others. It's also the last chapter of this story. I decided to change the ratings to T for safety's sake – there's some blood.**

**Thank you again for all your reviews. I really appreciate it. Now enjoy the last chapter of All Hallows' Eve. :-)**

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><p>Countless thoughts crossed Sebastian's mind as he stood before the bed his master was sitting on – or rather the boy's body was sitting there invaded by a demonic spirit which had taken complete control over Ciel's mind. After the first shock Sebastian now frantically went through his options. He needed to act soon. With every passing moment the possession grew stronger and Ciel's influence weakened. And even worse, his soul would take serious damage that could be irreversible and if Sebastian didn't cast out the spirit somehow the boy's soul would forever be lost. He couldn't let that happen! But what should he do?<p>

The demonic spirit seemed to know Sebastian's thoughts. It laughed again through Ciel's mouth. "There's nothing you can do. Since I've taken over the body of your master no one is able to save the boy anymore, not even a demon like yourself." Sebastian felt sick seeing the familiar face of his charge grimacing and mocking him under the influence of this parasite. "You've prepared a delicious feast, butler. I'll enjoy consuming every bit of this mouthwatering soul." The demon narrowed his eyes which glowed dangerously. "But even more so, I'll enjoy seeing you, an almighty demon, completely powerless and having to watch how I steal your dinner."

Sebastian growled menacingly. He could hardly control himself anymore. He wanted to rip this thing to pieces, let it suffer in the most horrible ways and finally slaughter it. But he had to be careful. That spirit was residing in his master's body right now and he would hurt or even kill his contractor if he attacked it. So he resisted his demonic instincts and warned the invader instead: "I give you one chance to leave my master alone and to never cross my path ever again. Otherwise I will kill you – but in a way that will make you plead for death."

The spirit just cocked its head and grinned at Sebastian. "I don't think you're in the position to threaten me, butler. Come on, be nice! Maybe if you beg like a dog I'll let you have a bite."

Sebastian lunged forward, grabbed the boy by his throat and pressed his body against the head board of the bed. The spirit was surprised at first. It hadn't expected the demon to attack it this quickly. Sebastian's hands were tightly clasped around Ciel's neck. He didn't see his master anymore; he just felt the presence of the lesser demon and was inflamed with rage. His glowing eyes were no more than slits and he showed a row of pointy fangs as he leaned towards his opponent's ear and whispered dangerously: "Get out of this body!"

The spirit didn't seem impressed and smirked. "Oh? And why do you think I should do that?"

"Because if you don't I will make you come out and you'll feel the power of a real demon." Sebastian's hands tightened even more.

Even though it choked for a moment the spirit was still grinning. "Is that so? Then how are you going to do that? As long as I inhabit this body you cannot harm me at all. What you're doing right now does nothing to me. However, you're hurting your master. I don't believe that's part of your contract, is it?"

Sebastian loosened his grip and took a few steps back. He hated to admit it but that thing was right. He even had explained it to the young master earlier this evening. Once a spirit had possessed a human vessel there was no way for anyone to interfere. Only the spirit itself could decide to leave the body but it would only do so when it had consumed the soul or when the human body was being destroyed. Both options undoubtedly would lead to the vessel's death. However, Sebastian couldn't accept either of those choices. There had to be another way.

He approached the boy again – slowly this time – and crouched down in front of him to look deeply into his eyes. "Young master, please listen to me. You must fight against the thing that has possessed your body!"

Ciel's body erupted in laughter again. "I see what you're trying to do, demon. But it won't work."

Sebastian ignored the spirit's words. "I know you're still in there, my lord. This is your body, fight for it! You can regain control over it. You are stronger than this fiend. Just follow my voice." Those words didn't seem to have any effect. The boy's eyes were dull just like before and his lips were still curled up in an evil grin. There was no sign of Ciel. But Sebastian continued. "Remember who you are! It is not like you to accept defeat. Don't let that vermin do whatever it wants. Fight against it!"

"He cannot hear you. Your efforts are worthless."

Sebastian tried it again but nothing changed. The spirit was right. It was too powerful for a human to take back control over his body. So this option was out of the question. That left only one possibility. Sebastian didn't like this one at all but he had no other choice now. If he did nothing his master's soul would definitely be lost to that spirit. He wouldn't allow that to happen. And if this meant to rely on the last possible option, then so be it.

Meanwhile the spirit stood up from the bed and wandered through the room enjoying the demon's helplessness. It stopped in front of a mirror that hung on the wall. "You know, I really like this body. Originally, I just wanted the soul of this boy but I think I could get used to living in this mansion." Ciel's hand was stretched out and the spirit touched the mirror tracing the outlines of Ciel's reflection. Upon reaching the eye that held the sign of the contract the hand paused. "Hmmm, it seems like your contract still remains even though you have broken it when you failed to protect your precious master from me. I wonder how much power _I_ have over you now. Having a body to live in this world is great. But having a demon slave to fulfil my every wish would be the icing of the cake, don't you think?" The reflection grinned at Sebastian.

"That won't happen!" It was true that Sebastian had come too late to prevent this spirit to possess his master's body. But the contract wasn't broken yet. Ciel was still alive. There was still a slight chance to save his soul.

The demon rose from his crouched position and drew a knife from under his waistcoat. With a fierce look he slowly approached the spirit that turned around to face Sebastian when it heard the footsteps. As it saw the knife in the butler's hand it raised an eyebrow. "Now what is that supposed to mean?"

Sebastian didn't answer.

"Are you trying to kill me with that? You know, it won't work. You'll just kill that boy."

The demon had nearly reached the spirit. He stopped and this time he answered. "But surely you know that if that body is killed while you are residing in it you'll be killed as well."

The lesser demon paled for a moment. Suddenly it laughed loudly. "Ah, I see. You want to scare me out of the body by threatening to kill it. What a clever idea. But I'm afraid I won't fall for that trick. I know that you cannot harm this boy. It's against your contract." Despite its words the spirit's gaze was fixed on the knife. "That's just an empty threat."

"Is that so?" Sebastian lifted the weapon and took another step forward ready to strike. The spirit stopped laughing and after seeing the serious look on the demon's face it turned and run back to the bed. Before it reached its destination it tripped on the blanket that was lying beside the bed and fell down on it. Alarmed, the spirit looked behind and sighed with relief when it saw that Sebastian was still standing by the mirror.

Sebastian was smirking now. "You claim to be certain that I won't hurt you, and yet you still run? You don't seem to be so sure of yourself, are you?"

"You'd kill your master!"

"I'd rather kill my master than letting his soul be consumed by you!" Sebastian was pleased to note that the spirit was getting more and more nervous. It was still lying on the floor entangled in the blanket and widened Ciel's eyes in terror as the demon came closer.

"That's against the contract!"

"I won't get a soul if I just stand here watching how you spoil my dinner so there's nothing to lose, right?" Sebastian stood in front of Ciel's body which trembled due to the spirit's fear. Once again, he raised the knife.

"NOOOO! STOP! THAT'S AN ORDER!" The spirit screamed in the young master's voice and Sebastian – being used to obey that voice – hesitated for only a second.

BANG!

Surprised, the butler watched his own blood flowing out of a wound in his chest where a bullet had hit him. The spirit was sitting on the floor breathing rapidly. Its hands were clutching Ciel's gun that had been hidden under the blanket. The fear that had shown on its face was gone now replaced by an amused smile. "I knew it. You cannot attack me. You have to obey the orders of your master – _my_ orders! And if you plan to get me out of this body you'll have to kill it. But my orders prevent you from doing it."

Sebastian laughed. "How naive." He pulled the bullet out of his chest and threw it in the direction where the spirit was sitting. It missed by only a hair's breadth and the worried spirit's gaze – its smile was drained from its face again – followed the bullet. When it turned its head back it got a huge fright. The demon was right in front of its face, took the gun out of its hands and threw it away. "You are _not_ my master. I have made a contract with the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, and him alone. Your orders have no effect."

With that he raised the knife and thrust it right into the boy's chest.

The spirit gasped and widened its eyes. Blood was flowing out of Ciel's chest and the sweet scent of his essence was filling Sebastian's nose. It was both wonderful and terrifying. Wonderful because the blood contained traces of the boy's soul which smelled delicious and made the demon's mouth water with hunger. But at the same time this smell meant that his master was injured and in danger. Since the contract wasn't completed yet Sebastian would usually do everything in his power to help the boy and treat his wounds immediately. But he couldn't do this now. Not as long as the spirit was still inside of his body. He needed to wait.

The lesser demon was coughing blood and casted nervous looks at Sebastian who stood with the bloody knife in his hand and watched the dying body with an indifferent expression. In between the coughs the spirit addressed the demon in a last effort to change the situation. "You… must help…. your master. He'll die… if you do nothing…!"

Sebastian kept silent. He couldn't show the spirit any reaction. It had to believe that he didn't care what happened to his master. Otherwise it wouldn't leave the body. But under this mask he had great difficulty in appearing nonchalant. With every passing moment more blood was flowing out of the wound and Ciel's body was getting weaker. If he didn't help him soon he would die of blood loss. Everything inside of the demon urged him to do something and the sign of the contract on his left hand was searing in pain. But he knew that the spirit had to give up the possession before the body died if it didn't want to die along with it. That's what he was relying on.

The seconds seemed like an eternity. Sebastian listened to the sound of his master's beating heart and noticed with terror that it was getting weaker and the period between two heartbeats was slowly getting longer. Of course he had missed the heart when he had stabbed him but the wound was lethal all the same if not treated. It had to be if he wanted the spirit to leave. Ciel was sitting in a pool of his own blood by now. He was deathly pale and his lips had turned to a bluish colour. Under normal circumstances he would already have collapsed but the spirit held on to his vessel still expecting Sebastian to save the body at the last second.

The butler became impatient. Why didn't the spirit give up on the body already? Suddenly he was struck by an idea. The spirit must know that it would die if it didn't leave the body. But maybe the fear of what would happen if it did was even greater – the fear of what Sebastian would do to it.

So he dropped the knife, turned around and went to leave the room. He had to force himself to do so, suppressing the urge to be by his master's side. He just hoped his plan would work.

Just as he was about to reach the door the atmosphere in the room changed. The foul stench emitting from the spirit was getting even stronger and he could hear a thud from where Ciel had passed out. That was what he had been waiting for. The lesser demon had finally seized the opportunity of Sebastian turning his back on it to leave the dying body in order to save its own life. But Sebastian wouldn't let this vermin escape. All of the rage that had built up inside of him was now released and focused on the shadowy whirling mass forming above his master.

Before the spirit even had the slightest chance of attempting to escape Sebastian lunged at it. He sensed the pure terror and mortal fear the lessor demon was feeling as his human traits were dissolving, merging into his true demonic form. The glowing red eyes and his mouth baring his pointy fangs were distorted to a grimace of hatred. With extended claws he was reaching towards his victim.

The spirit didn't even have the time to scream. It was no match for the infuriated demon. Sebastian drove his hand into the shadowy mass that was the spirit. Being in his true form he was able to get a hold on the otherwise immaterial being. Under any other circumstances he would have taken his time and would have made sure that it would suffer horribly for touching his property. He would have let it experience excruciating torture before killing it. But there was no time for that. His master was on the verge of dying so Sebastian couldn't risk any more delays.

Therefore, he quickly found the source of the spirit's life force – something that could be compared to a human heart – and squashed it with his hand. Right after that he ripped the rest of what still remained of the fiend apart until it dissolved in the air. It hadn't taken more than a split second. The spirit was dead.

Instantly, Sebastian focused his attention on his master who was lying unconscious beside the bed. He was back in his human form and hurried to the bleeding boy's side. Ciel was hardly breathing anymore but the butler could still hear a weak heartbeat. "Master, hang in there! I'll stop the bleeding." He tore off a piece of the blanket and wrapped it around the boy's chest to stop the blood from flowing out of the wound. But Sebastian couldn't leave it at that. He needed to treat the injury properly and for that he required bandaging material and from the look of it the wound should better be stitched as well.

The butler considered for a moment calling a doctor but dismissed the idea at once. It would take ages for a doctor to come at this time of the night and during such a terrible weather. Besides, he had enough knowledge to perform such a simple task himself but the required equipment was downstairs in the servant's quarters.

He didn't want to leave his master alone again so he carefully lifted the boy up in his arms and used his demonic speed to get what he needed as fast as possible without making too much noise or shaking the fragile boy in his arms. Glad to be back in the bedroom he laid his master down on his bed. Thankfully, the blanket had prevented any more blood to be spilled so far but Ciel was still unconscious and his irregular heartbeat worried the butler.

Sebastian slowly removed the blanket in order to inspect the wound more closely. As soon as the pressure on it disappeared the injury started bleeding again, although not as much as before. But the boy couldn't take much more blood loss so Sebastian tried to work faster. The knife hadn't damaged any inner organs. Therefore, the only thing that had to be done was closing the wound.

"I'm sorry, my lord. This might sting a bit." He knew that Ciel couldn't hear him right now and that he probably wouldn't feel anything due to his unconsciousness. But nonetheless he felt the need to speak to him – if only to calm his own nerves.

He cleaned the wound with alcohol and carefully stitched it up. In a matter of seconds it was closed and Sebastian was eased to note that the bleeding had finally stopped completely. He took the bandages and wrapped them around his master's chest. Now the boy could get some rest and regain his strength. Sebastian got a new thick blanket that thankfully was right in the wardrobe used for cold nights and covered Ciel with it. The boy's cheeks were slowly getting back its colour and his heart was beating stronger and more regular now. Sebastian let out a breath of relief he hadn't known he'd been holding.

Now that his master was taken care of the butler looked around in the room. The torn blanket, Ciel's gun, the bullet and Sebastian's knife were scattered on the floor and there was a lot of blood – a bit of his own but mostly his master's. All of it bared witness of his failure as a butler and as a demon. Due to his own carelessness his contractor had been in serious danger. It was entirely his fault that Ciel was in this condition now. He had been lucky that he had been able to save the boy in the end but Sebastian vowed that he'd be more careful in the future – especially during the night on All Hallows' Eve. He wouldn't do the same mistake again to underestimate the creatures that lurked in the darkness just waiting to lay their filthy hands on the delicious soul that would be his when the contract was completed.

Sebastian started to clean up the room and was just finished when a rustling noise attracted his attention.

"Se…Se…bas…tian…?"

The demon was by his master's side instantly. "My lord, I am here."

Ciel's voice was weak. "Where…? What…? This thing…!"

"Don't worry, young master. It has been taken care of. It won't bother you again."

The exhausted boy just nodded and seemed to relax a bit. Sebastian kneeled down beside the bed and lowered his gaze. "I deeply apologize for tonight's happenings, my lord. I have failed as the Phantomhive butler."

Only now, Ciel noticed that his chest was bandaged. He wanted to sit up but a flash of blinding pain suddenly ran down his body and Sebastian quickly stood up to prevent his master from moving too much.

"Please lie down, sir. You're wounded!"

"What… happened…?" The thirteen-year-old did as he was told since he was too tired to protest and lying down really was more comfortable than sitting.

Sebastian kneeled down again. "I'm afraid it was me who stabbed you." Ciel's eyes widened and the butler quickly continued. "Of course I only did this because it was the only way to save you, my lord. You were possessed by an evil spirit. Please forgive me! It will never happen again. I promise."

Ciel remembered what had happened before everything had turned black and he shuddered. So this thing really had possessed him but he was still alive even though Sebastian had said that humans usually didn't survive this. His mind was spinning and he felt dizzy.

Sebastian noticed his master's discomfort. "How are you feeling, young master?"

Ciel couldn't be mad at Sebastian right now. In the end, he had saved him although the Earl certainly didn't approve of his methods. But when the demon said that it had been the only way then it was true. Sebastian didn't lie. "I'm… tired!"

"You should rest. You've been through a lot tonight and sleep will be the best medicine. I'll clear your schedule for tomorrow."

Sebastian tucked the boy in. Ciel's eyes closed but he weakly grabbed his butler's arm. "Sebastian…! Don't… leave…!"

"Do not fear. I won't let you out of my sight for the rest of the night. I'll watch over you and when you awake I will be there."

His master relaxed and within seconds he had fallen asleep. Sebastian positioned himself beside the bed to keep watch over his charge as he had promised. The young master had been unusually calm upon learning that it had been himself who had stabbed him. Sebastian smirked. Humans – especially his master – really were interesting, grasping anything that gave them comfort even if it was a demon. Surely, tonight's events would have consequences. When Ciel would wake up tomorrow feeling better and fully realizing what exactly had happened he'd probably be rather angry with him. But Sebastian could deal with that and he would accept any punishment his master would have in store for him because after all he didn't regret having hurt him as it had been the only possibility to save his soul and his life. And in the end, that was the only thing that counted.


End file.
